---
id: index
title: Desktop App
---
import useBaseUrl from '@docusaurus/useBaseUrl';

import FbInstallation from './fb/_installation.mdx';

Flipper helps you debug in the following environments:

* Android and iOS.
* Web apps running in an emulator/simulator.
* Connected physical development devices.
* Your browser.

Flipper consists of two parts:

- The desktop app.
- The native mobile SDKs for Android and iOS, the client for JavaScript, or even a third-party client you could implement yourself or find on the web.

Once you start Flipper and launch an emulator/simulator or connect a device, you'll start to see the device logs (and any other device-level plugins that work with your device).
Currently, there are no plugins available for web apps.

To see app-specific data, you need to integrate the Flipper SDK into your app (see the 'Adding Flipper to your app' within the 'Getting Started' section of the SideBar).

## Installation

<OssOnly>

:::note
The desktop part of Flipper doesn't need a setup. Simply download the latest build for [Mac](https://www.facebook.com/fbflipper/public/mac), [Linux](https://www.facebook.com/fbflipper/public/linux) or [Windows](https://www.facebook.com/fbflipper/public/windows) and launch it.
:::

If you're on macOS, you can run `brew install --cask flipper` to let `homebrew` manage installation and upgrades (simply run `brew upgrade` to upgrade when a new version is released, although it might take a few hours up to a day for the package to be upgraded on `homebrew`).

To work properly with mobile apps, Flipper requires the following:

* Working installation of Android development tools
* [Where applicable] Working installation of iOS development tools
* [OpenSSL](https://www.openssl.org) binary on your `$PATH`. A compatible OpenSSL for Windows can be downloaded from [slproweb.com](https://slproweb.com/products/Win32OpenSSL.html) or from Chocolatey with `choco install openssl`.

If you are hacking a JS app, you should be good to go without any extra dependencies installed.

:::information
[Experimental] Alternatively, it is possible to run a browser based version of Flipper directly from NPM by using `npx flipper-server`.
:::

</OssOnly>

<FbInternalOnly>

<FbInstallation />

</FbInternalOnly>

## Troubleshooting

If you run into problems, take a look at the [troubleshooting](troubleshooting/troubleshooting.mdx) section.
Failing that, check <OssOnly>[GitHub Issues](https://github.com/facebook/flipper/issues).</OssOnly><FbInternalOnly>the [Workplace group](https://fb.workplace.com/groups/230455004101832/).</FbInternalOnly>
